Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Chicago to Omaha Nebraska

Crossing the pond next summer. Flying to Chicago, renting bikes and heading down to Omaha. Nebraska. Would love to get suggestions what route to take. Nice scenery, not so straight roads etc. Maybe 3-4 days for the trip. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

You may wish to look at old Americana on Rt 66. Not much left of it but some interesting stops. It heads south through Illinois to St. Louis then west.

It is only a 7 hour trip from Chicago to Omaha.
How many miles or hours a day do you want to travel?

Is this your first trip to the states?

Ron is correct the Mother road would be a good start.

Do you have dates yet?

Key is to stay on State Roads they will let you enjoy the countryside. Interstates will get you from point A to point B quickly.

Bengt, if it's nice scenery and winding roads you seek, then maybe you should reconsider your entire trip from Chicago to Omaha... You best bet would be to go north and stay north while traveling west until you have to drop down to Nebraska. Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota will be your best bet, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska is boring farmland, mostly flat and straight. Apologies to the flatlanders up that way, but you know it to be true.

that being said, if you take the mother road and end up in St. Louis, do let me know and I'll show you around

I agree the northern route would be more interesting. Heck Chicago to Sturgis is only 15 hours. If you google Chicago to Sturgis there is plenty of information. Even if you don't go all the way there it would be a nice trip. People along the route are good at serving bikers. You could do 2 or 3 days and not get half way there.

Depends when you are coming. When bike week gets close you will pay a premium for everything.

Just don't go too far north those Canadians can get wild.

Thank you Ron, Bill and Dave. The plan is to arrive at Omaha July 12th for a three day meet. We'll be approx. 10 ppl going and hopefully make a two week vacation of the trip.

For me personally it will be my first visit to the states, but I know a couple of my club members have been there before.

I'd guess the miles per day will vary. After all, it's a vacation ;-)

Oh, and then a whole week of riding after the meet!!!

I beg to differ with my esteemed coleague, Dave, (idiot ) about the midwest being boring and flat. My neck of the woods, which is just 100 miles north of Dave, is full of gently rolling hills and long sweeping curves. But I do agree with him that any northern route is gonna be nicer riding. And to one up Dave, if'n you want to come by MY place on your ride, here in the southwest corner of Iowa, I'll show you around some nice "river roads". AND, I'll find some women for you. AND, I'll buy you a new car! THERE!, top THAT St. Louis!

If you got 2 weeks there is so much you can do. I have always been one who goes were the road takes me. You can learn more about this country by stopping at a local dinner in a town of 3000 than all the tourist stops. Some areas are hilly and curvy with a surprise every minute, or the road can be as long and straight as your eyes can see. I have camped under a tarp in national parks or under a bridge. The rides I have enjoyed most is when I pick a destination and point the bike that away.

Daniel Boone was once asked if he had ever been lost. His answer was,"Nope, but I have been a bit confused for a few days."

I have to plan everyday at work. Vacations are a time for me to just get lost. The destination will arrive soon enough. Enjoy the ride.

Don't believe him, there are no cars in Iowa, only tractors and corn and blue wheat. I did see a motorcycle with Iowa plates once. As for women well, mid west women are generally as wide as they are tall. The good news is they don't tend to be very tall.
I ventured west of Chicago once, did you ever see children of the corn? I turned and drove south till I hit water then backed up till I couldn't smell fish. that's how I ended up in Houston.

OK then it is settled. You will fly into Chicago head south on Interstate 65 for 2 hours and get past the flat lands. Lay over the first night in Lafayette Indiana were I will meet up with you and personally escort you thru the Wabash River Valley south to the Ohio River to the Mississippi River and deliver you to Dave in St Louis. I have a niece in St. Louis whose husband is a bike guy also.

That will kill your first 2 days in the states.
Heck that time of year it is daylight till 9:30 at night.

Then you can head across Missouri and North to Omaha.

LOL

There are three parts of texas, the flat part, the wet part, and the dry part. We have two seasons, rainy, and dry. There is three kinds of women, ones that don't speak English, ones that dont speak espanol, and the ones that don't speak either. They are all mean or crazy. Long horn cattle may look nicer but they are meaner than the women. Everyone drives trucks ....faster than NASCAR , and you are more likely to be killed on the highway in Houston than in the Iraqi war.

But at least in Texas they understand gun rights and how to deal with violent criminals. They also have an attitude about being a state. Texas should be a country.

If it became a country I would move there.

US 66 is rotten ride, from Chicago to St Louis, its flat and boring beyond belief.

If you want to ride across Illinois and Iowa to Omaha, you can have plenty of wonderful roads and scenery, though their are areas of Illinois and Iowa that are flat, most are rolling hills, and in NW Illinois and NE Iowa the hills are wonderful riding and the bluffs along the upper Mississippi gorgeous(like now with the colors New Englandesque). Depending on the time you want to dedicate to touring, I can come up with nice riding paths from Chicago that are enjoyable, the first hour out of the suburbs will be prairie and the father west you go the more hills and curves you get.

Go west on IL72 to Byron, IL
Then go South on IL2 along the Rock River to Dixon, IL( this is a nice winding road that hugs the river). From there go west on US52, you can take this to Savanna, IL, cross over into Iowa and go North to Dubuque, IA. Very nice along the Mississippi(near St Donatus, its compared to Luxembourg). Or..take US 52 to Mt Carroll, IL, go north on IL 78 to US 20, then go west on US 20 through historic Galena(where US Grant lived, and also a portion of The Field of Dreams was filmed) and continue to Dubuque, IA.

From Dubuque, great riding north is a hoot, on the Balltown road(C9Y) and to Gutenberg and to Marquette....but north of Dubuque is out of your way.

Go west on US20 to Dyersville(20 to 25 miles) and you have arrived in the town where most of The Field of Dreams was filmed, and you can visit the ball field north and east of town.

Otherwise, if you want to go on to Omaha, then take US 61 south to US 151 to Cedar Rapids(you will go through Anamosa, IA and the National Motorcycle Museum is there and very nice. After Anamosa, proceed towards Cedar Rapids, as you come into Marion(before Cedar Rapids, take IA 13 south to US 30 west, and then connect with US 151 south again (this bypasses the city), US 151 will take you through the Amana colonies and at Homestead you will connect with US 6. US 6 is mostly two lane and a nice ride towards Des Moines and if you choose will take you to Omaha.

There are more paths, but thats a bit of a start for you.

Why don't all you guys meet him at Lincoln park and fuss over what road to take there. Just touring Chi town is a treat. It almost don't matter what route through the corn field you take.

It's about TIME that somebody really helps this guy out with some good directions. And I agree with most of them. Especially the part about where St. Louis is boring! Although that's kinda unfair. The TOWN isn't that boring. Just the RESIDENTS!

Too bad you won't have time to venture further out west, Bengt.

(...'cause Jim Morrison in a certain Doors song DIDN'T say "The MIDwest is the best", ya know!)